Explaining the Differences Between MECON’s Financing Program, Released Yesterday, and My Own Estimates Published Last Week
ARGENTINA · In Brief · 07 Jul 2026

As expected, the government yesterday released its financing program for 2026 and 2027 in response to strong market demand. While the announcement has helped assuage investor concerns about the administration’s ability to service debt maturing this year and next, it leaves some important question...

Rethinking Argentina's 2026–27 external financing gap
ARGENTINA · Report · 29 Jun 2026 · 1 response

Back in January, I argued that the combined US dollar debt obligations of the National Treasury and the Central Bank (BCRA) appeared too large relative to the Milei administration's capacity to finance them through the end of the presidential term. Six months later, that situation looks considera...

Seeking stability with no takeoff in sight
ARGENTINA · Report · 10 Jun 2026

The debate surrounding Argentina's outlook increasingly revolves around a simple but consequential issue. Can the economy recover before inflation reaches truly low levels, or must inflation fall further before a meaningful recovery can occur? A weaker peso risks reigniting inflation. A stable p...

The Ides of May
ARGENTINA · Report · 18 May 2026

In Roman tradition, the Ides of March evoke foreboding and anxiety, while the Ides of other months, such as May, suggest cautious optimism. At this time in May, Argentina’s economy resembles the latter more than the former. April was a better month than March, and May’s economic results are expec...

Stable disequilibrium
ARGENTINA · Report · 28 Apr 2026

I see Argentina's macroeconomy as trapped in a state of internal and external disequilibrium. On one hand, the output gap is negative, meaning that GDP is running below potential, On the other, the central bank is having trouble accumulating reserves at a high enough speed to convince internatio...

Macro update: tail risks down, frictions up
ARGENTINA · Report · 27 Apr 2026

Argentina’s macro program continues to deliver short-term financial stability, but the underlying tensions between disinflation, growth, and external sustainability remain unresolved. Recent developments confirm that the policy mix is effective at reducing tail risks—namely, a disorderly devaluat...

Asymmetric exchange rate flexibility as a path out of stagnation
ARGENTINA · Report · 31 Mar 2026

For Argentina to break out of its current stagnation without triggering a sustained increase in inflation, it needs to adopt an asymmetrically floating exchange rate regime. Asymmetric floating implies allowing the peso to depreciate when demand for dollars rises, while intervening to accumulate ...

The Middle East conflict: a catalyst for policy recalibration in Argentina?
ARGENTINA · Report · 25 Mar 2026

The Middle East conflict represents a double-edged sword for Argentina. While it strengthens the external sector through improved terms of trade, it also exacerbates inflationary pressures and financial vulnerabilities. This combination may ultimately force a reassessment of the current policy mi...

Stagflation deepens: Can Argentina find a way out in 2026?
ARGENTINA · Report · 03 Mar 2026

According to the September–October 2025 Survey of Political Satisfaction and Public Opinion conducted by Universidad San Andrés, low wages and limited employment opportunities have become the primary concerns among respondents. Inflation now ranks lower, alongside insecurity, poverty and perceive...

Despite its long-term significance, last week’s passing of the labor reform bill by the Senate failed to impress the market
ARGENTINA · In Brief · 17 Feb 2026

Summary On Thursday of last week, the Senate approved President Milei’s labor reform bill, officially known as Ley de Modernización Laboral, after a marathon debate with 42 votes in favor and 30 against. The approval came amid significant protests outside Congress, where unions and workers clashe...

Fear of floating
ARGENTINA · Report · 20 Jan 2026

The beginning of the new year brought few surprises. The BCRA began to make daily purchases of reserves as announced; it also canceled the tranche of the swap with the U.S. Treasury disbursed in October and placed a one-year repo with international banks, the proceeds of which were sold in part t...

The link between re-monetization and reserve accumulation—the two will only happen if the exchange rate is allowed to float
ARGENTINA · Report · 11 Dec 2025

The government now agrees that accumulating FX reserves is important but, for this, the economy must re-monetize—and not just in US dollars, as it thought before, but primarily in pesos. While this is obviously true, members of the economic team also believe (or so it seems) that re-monetization ...

The government says exchange rate policy will remain unchanged—the question is for how long
ARGENTINA · Report · 10 Nov 2025

The president and the economy minister have said that no significant changes in FX policy are in the cards. In this report, I evaluate whether, given the net demand for dollars from the SPN, the rest of the economy will have the capacity to generate the excess supply necessary to satisfy that dem...

Webinar replay: Post-election Argentina: Inflation, growth and the next policy chapter
ARGENTINA · Report · 31 Oct 2025

What do the results of Argentina's midterm elections mean for the country's outlook? Is a monetary/FX regime change in the cards? What are the implications for inflation and growth? How likely is Congress to approve structural reforms over the next two years? What will the US Treasury ask of Arge...

The "Bessent effect" is a game changer, but not for the reasons some people think
ARGENTINA · In Brief · 21 Oct 2025

Economy Minister Luis Caputo has described recent U.S. financial assistance as a “game changer” for Argentina. That characterization is accurate — though not for the reasons many government supporters claim. The U.S. aid package does not provide a shortcut to peso stabilization or pave the way fo...